Dr Adam Bonaa, Executive Secretary of the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, has questioned why the person (persons) behind the Ghana Jollof TikTok page are allegedly hiding from authorities after a coup d’etat claim on social media.
Speaking exclusively on The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV, he said Ghana’s history of coup d’etats and the brutality that Ghanaians suffered should dissuade people from making jokes of such events.
Dr Bonaa, who said he grew up in Tema during an era associated with coup d’etats, recalled witnessing the effects of military takeovers on families and communities.
He said the experience was painful and warned that people who had not witnessed the brutality of coup d’etats might not fully understand their consequences.
“I mean, I lived in the days of coups… I saw friends’ fathers were shot point-blank range. It’s not someone telling me. I grew up and lived in Tema, in the days of the coup,” he said.
Dr Bonaa questioned why people who make statements about coups would conceal their identities if their comments were meant to be harmless jokes.
He compared the situation to comedians who openly make jokes about public figures and even tribes while performing on stage in the full glare of the audience.
“If it’s a harmless joke, do you see those entertainers who mount a platform to do comedy; do they hide behind the curtains?” he asked.
He argued that people should be willing to identify themselves when making such comments, adding that their identities should be known if security agencies need to question them.
“If you have nothing to hide, why do you do it behind the scene? Your address should be known…,” he said.
“So, when you hear people like Ghana Jollof say coup, this and that, and you have people support that assertion, I ask myself, are we in some banana republic?” he asked.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service has declared Barbara Asantewaa Kodua believed to be behind the Ghana Jollof TikTok account wanted.
